


there's nothing like giving the game away

by vectacular



Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Other, Pre-Relationship, it's more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23345734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vectacular/pseuds/vectacular
Summary: A series of visits between Lyfrassir Edda and the bandits.(aka, 5 times Lyf visits them in prison, and 1 time they get a visit.)
Relationships: Lyfrassir Edda/Marius von Raum
Comments: 29
Kudos: 233





	there's nothing like giving the game away

**Author's Note:**

> I just like violinspector.... 
> 
> Title from KMFDM's [Craze](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT5lSePAH_0)!

It’s Lyfrassir Edda’s second day on the Transport Police. And he’s been ordered to give some food to the bandits that arrived after the Bifrost Incident. 

They’re pretty sure they’re being hazed. 

It’s been 60 years since the bandits have been captured, after wreaking havoc for 20 years, and Lyfrassir’s not sure what to expect. For them to look _exactly_ like the mugshots he saw in the newspapers is not what was up there. There were rumours of them not aging, but this is _ridiculous_. 

“You’re new! You should stop being a class traitor!” The man known as Marius von Raum says, resting on the bars of the door with a bright grin. 

“Lyfrassir Edda,” they say stiffly, putting the food given into the slot in the door. 

“Out of all the prisons we’ve been in, your prison food is 38.4% better than an actual jail planet,” a red-haired one, Ivy Alexandria says. “Your traitorous institution should be proud,” she tacks on. 

“... Thank… you?” They frown, unsure of what to say to that. 

“You’re much better about this than previous officers who’ve been hazed,” the third, the one with _actual mechanical wings_ , Raphaella la Cognizi, mentions in between bites of her own food. “It’s fun to see them run though,” she cocks her head. 

“ _Right_ ,” their voice cracks a bit and they cough, crossing their arms, “I’ve also been told that la Cognizi can’t have things she asked for.” 

“Not even the book on anatomy?” She pouts, wings _drooping_ , to which Lyfrassir would like to say _what the fuck_. 

“Uh, no.” 

“Guess I’ll have to do my own research then,” she muses, tapping the utensil against her cheek. “How long does it take for a regular person here to die when being bled out?” 

And that is _definitely_ their cue to get the fuck out of here, “I wouldn’t know. I have to go back to my actual job now.” And back to a place which doesn’t have _whatever_ the fuck is in that cell.

* * *

The second time Lyfrassir visits the bandits is more for his own curiosity. That, and it’s a quiet day, and they’d rather not join in on spitballing the boss’s door. 

“Ah, Lyf!” Von Raum says as they come in. The jail for the bandits is special and sound-proofed, mainly because they liked to heckle the cops working until they got put into a soundproof cell. The folder of the bandits transgressions inside the precinct is as big as it is for outside.

“Lyf?” They cross their arms, and Von Raum’s smile brightens. He’s the only one awake, with the other two sleeping. Or… whatever. Do they sleep? 

“Lyfrassir! So, Lyf! What can I do for you today?” 

“Why are you here?” 

“Free room and board,” Von Raum gets up and rests on the bars. “Lots of cops have asked that before, Lyf. Try better,” he says with a nod, wagging his finger. 

Lyfrassir furrows his brows, staring at Von Raum’s metal hand. “What happened to your hand?” 

Von Raum laughs boisterously, waking up his cellmates. “Why, I’d love to tell you!” And the next thing Lyfrassir knows, he’s holding a violin, “ _like whiskey laced with gasoline, we’ll get you stinking drunk―_ “

The station starts to wail, sirens and red lights flashing, interrupting the prisoner’s song, and they rush out of the room. 

It’s only after the disaster is contained that Lyfrassir remembers the aborted song, and they squash down any attraction sparked by it into dust. They always did have a, mostly regrettable, thing for violinists. 

* * *

“Those bandits have been requesting you,” a fellow officer, Skali says as she gets up. 

“And… I should see them because of that?” They ask dryly, raising an eyebrow. Honestly, they’d rather not deal with them and their _eccentricities_ , like manifesting violins out of thin air behind prison bars. 

Skali scoffs and puts a file on their desk, as well as some sort of green marble. “They’re aliens, right? This came from another off-worlder recently in one of my cases. Ask if they know.” 

“Why not ask them yourself?” They squint up at Skali, who shrugs. 

“I’m off the clock in like a minute, and they _have_ been asking for you,” she waves at them as she leaves the station, and Lyfrassir groans. So not only do they have to do busywork for another officer, they have to visit the bandits again? Their sleep hasn’t been good enough lately to deal with this. Sure, they have no idea what the dreams entail, but they wake up exhausted and vaguely unsettled, which is like getting no sleep at all.

Taking a deep breath, Lyfrassir picks up the folder and the marble, skimming through the folder as they walk into the bandit’s cell. 

“Ah, Lyf! Do you finally want to hear―“ Von Raum starts, and they suddenly become acutely aware of a headache they have. 

“No,” they interrupt. Von Raum pouts. Ivy and Raphaella snicker, and Von Raum droops onto the bars and mentions something about having a gun to shoot his cellmates with under his breath. Lyfrassir ignores that, mainly for their own sanity. “A colleague wants to know what this is,” they show the marble, and Raphaella whistles. “It was found when we arrested some other criminal off-worlders.” 

“It’s either a bomb or a power cell,” Ivy says. “Considering you got it from _criminals_ , probably a bomb. But 65.2% of the time, it’s usually a source of power for spaceships.”

“... Thank you,” they say, eyes staring at the marble cautiously. “Is there anything we can do to keep it inert?”

“Keeping it in water, just water and not salt-water,” Raphaella says, and Ivy nods. “The radius for those isn't that much anyway. They’d only blow up two cities at most,” Raphaella says wistfully. 

“Would Ashes like one?” Von Raum looks at the marble in contemplation. 

“It’s more razing to the ground and creating a huge crater than flames, so no, they wouldn’t,” Ivy says. 

“And who’s this… Ashes?” Lyfrassir sighs, hoping more of these bandits won’t show up. That’s the last thing they need.

“They’re our Quartermaster and fellow Mechanism!” Von Raum grins, and suddenly there’s another violin. 

Lyfrassir walks out of the cell, hearing Von Raum’s offended shout before the door closes. 

* * *

Von Raum’s escaped, and they only know because he knocked on the precinct door, drunk. 

The other officers mostly ignore the bandits, unless it’s for something essential like feeding them or whatever, so one of the officers told them they had something they need at the door. Being the primary officer for these bandits is very tiring, and they’re considering asking for a raise.

“How did you get out?” They ask flatly. Von Raum just leans on the doorway and smiles. 

“Very easily,” Von Raum sighs and leans onto them, making Lyfrassir freeze. “I’d―I’d write. Lyrics about your hair in the sunlight, if you weren’t a cop,” Von Raum mumbles, and they eventually sigh, bringing the bandit in. The man is warm, and his metal hand is resting over his shoulder, and Lyfrassir forces themself to ignore it, channeling it into annoyance. “Jonny might kill me too. He has _things_ about writing the lyrics.”

Lyfrassir dutifully ignores the drunken ramblings as they wind through back to offices, and eventually the bandits cell. “If any of you could escape so easily, why stay?” They scowl as they throw Von Raum back in. The other cell occupants are sleeping, and Von Raum pouts on the floor as the door closes. 

“The story isn’t done yet,” Von Raum grins, “and I did tell you, free room and board.” 

“And which story is this?” Lyfrassir frowns, sitting on the floor near Von Raum. 

Von Raum moves near the bars and makes his way up so they’re face-to-face. “The Bifrost,” he whispers. 

They blink, remembering that they appeared after it disappeared. “And what do you think would happen if the Bifrost hypothetically returned?” 

“No idea,” Von Raum shrugs, “but it’ll be very interesting. Ivy has ideas, but I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you,” he puts a finger to his mouth, shushes and then giggles. 

Lyfrassir gets up and decides to get the drunk in the cell some water. They can be nice, sometimes. And a drunk Von Raum is _a bit_ less annoying than his sober counterpart. 

* * *

It’s the afternoon and they’ve gotten back from their first job as inspector, which isn’t much to think about really. The raise is nice, but now it just means more paperwork and catching up with the other files that the other detectives have been working on. 

When they go into the precinct, they’re met with music, and the other’s crowded around the security camera feed. Usually the feed is muted for their own sanity, but now there’s… a song? A soft violin, followed by Marius, with Ivy and Raphaella harmonising. 

_“―Lying here amongst the flowers  
_ _I can rest my weary bones  
_ _In the earth with my beloved  
_ _I will find my final home”_

Lyfrassir gulps, heart wrenching as the song continues on. The other officers clap and cheer, and Lyfrassir hopes this doesn’t encourage the bandits, but that hope is dashed as they see the officers move to the window to their room and cheering.

They glare at the officers, who shrug and go back to watching the feed as they walk into the cell. 

“Lyf! Congratulations on your promotion!” Von Raum chirps, face bright. “Hopefully this is one step closer to getting out of this corrupt place!” 

Lyfrassir sighs and rubs between their eyes, “is this what the singing was about?” They grit out.

“We―well, when I say _we_ , I mean Marius―“ Von Raum sends Raphaella a betrayed stare, “wanted to do something for it, and why not. It’s not like we have anywhere to be,” she shrugs. 

“We can also never turn down singing,” Ivy says solemnly. 

“And don’t worry, Lyf! There are so many other songs you have yet to hear!” Von Raum says excitedly. “Which one next?” Von Raums asks his cellmates. Lyfrassir covers his eyes and wishes that a part of them wasn’t _touched_ by these weird prisoners celebrating something for them. 

“I hate you all,” they mumble with as much distaste they can muster. 

Von Raum gasps in offense and fake-hurt.

* * *

Lyf’s unsure how long they’ve been in this room, which the Mechanisms have given them. They haven’t… handled the destruction of the Yggdrasil system well, which is only fair, the Mechanisms have said. 

They want to sleep, to _rest_ , but all they see in the black is the _acrid rainbow―reaching out―piercing their brain―Odin staring at them―_

“Lyf,” a voice says, and they turn around on their bed to see Von Raum. “You need to get up, you know,” Von Raum says gently, coming in to kneel on the floor and taking their hands. “Get some fresh air. Eat. Drink. Doctor’s orders.” 

“Fresh air?” The repeat, voice scratchy, furrowing their brows, “on a spaceship?”

Von Raum squeezes their hands, looking up with a smile. “Yeah, we have a garden! And aquarium! It provides the air for the ship, and it’s a very zen place. You won’t get hurt there,” Von Raum sighs, “I promise. _Please_.” 

Lyf looks into the other’s eyes, almost pleading. There’s silence for a few moments, and then, “okay. Since you asked so nicely.”

Von Raum smiles and pulls them from the bed. They almost collapse, head rushing as they realise how much they’ve neglected their body’s need―when they suddenly realise that they’re leaning on Von Raum as they slowly move through the ship. They’d complain about being handled like this, but they don’t have the right headspace for things like walking, or complaining about other things.

“You’re not a doctor,” they say, remembering something Von Raum said. 

“Yes I am!” Von Raum shouts, echoing through the hallways. 

“No,” Lyf shakes their head, and Von Raum pouts. 

“Well, I _am_ ,” Von Raum scowls as they walk into an elevator. Von Raum almost breaks the button with how hard he pushes it, “one day someone…“ there’s further muttering under his breath, but Lyf tunes it out and looks up. Something black on the ceiling blinks at them, and they jump. 

“What the fuck’s that!?” 

Von Raum looks up, “just an octokitten.” 

“A… okay,” they Lyf frowns and tilts their head. The ‘octokitten’ mirrors it, tentacles shifting on the ceiling. 

The elevator door opens, and suddenly they’re walking away, which makes them remember Von Raum’s weight beside him, warm and solid, unlike how they feel. “There are loads of them around here, you can look for more later if you’re up to it,” Von Raum mumbles as they turn a corner. 

A large hangar-sized door meets them, along with a more normal door on the right side. A sign on it hangs: 

**_NO KILLING ZONE  
_ ** **_(dead bodies for compost only!)_ **

They blink as Von Raum opens the smaller door, gaping as they see a huge field of green. Trees and plants are dotted along, with the odd chair or table. There are birds chirping and all of the colours of the garden is overwhelming in a _good_ way, which they’re not sure how to digest after only experiencing it in a bad way. 

Von Raum leads them to a table with chairs, sitting them down. “I’m gonna get you substance, so just―don’t wander off far from here,” Von Raum mumbles, then starts calling for a Brian.

Lyf looks around, taking in the sights as they lean on the table. The ‘sky’ is an artificial blue, and they must spend a lot of time just doing that, because Von Raum is back in no time, with a cup and what looks like fruit. 

“These are close enough―maybe―to you had back at―“ Von Raum frowns and puts a teal apple-like fruit in their hand, “according to Ivy, that is, and this,” Von Raum pushes the cup closer, “is coffee!” 

They take a little bite of the fruit, waiting for some sort of… reaction, maybe allergic. But nothing happens, and they continue to slowly eat, not really tasting. Von Raum sits on the chair opposite and pops some of the tiny fuchsia berries into his mouth, squinting at Lyf all the while.

Lyf gets through half of the fruit and all of the coffee when they decide to get up slowly, walking around the area to look at the plants. There’s a big red tree nearby with a treehouse in it, and made quite well from what they can see. 

“How’re you feeling?” Von Raum asks, hovering behind them. 

“Better,” they say as they sit on the grass, _for the moment at least_. They feel Von Raum sit behind them, and they try to bring up any irritation about it―but they can’t. Lyf sighs and leans back, landing on Von Raum’s chest, making him squeak. “What?” They blink up, keeping their face straight at Von Raum’s wide eyes. If Von Raum’s going to sit behind them, they’ll at least get something of use from it, like a pillow. 

Von Raum eventually sighs, an arm going around their waist hesitantly. “Nothing.” 

Between the scenery and the warmth of Von Raum, Lyf soon finds themself drifting off into their first ever _truly_ dreamless sleep. 

**_[Fin]_ **

**Author's Note:**

> My first ever Mechs fic... I hope you like it!!! 
> 
> Please give me comments/kudos because validation good. ♥ ♥
> 
> [Tumblr](https://lenreli.tumblr.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/lenreli)


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